Can't Let Go
by CONTINUUM9
Summary: When Shaundi and The Boss stay behind to save Johnny in Saints Row The Third, it leads to an event that changes The Boss and Saints Row as we know it. A continuing saga that explores alternate dimensions and a second chance at happiness. Rated T for now, but will be M later on.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE:**** The first half of this chapter is taking off of the first mission in Saints Row The Third. There are SPOILERS, if you haven't played the third game, be warned.**

CAN'T LET GO

_"My name is Phillipe Lorren. I'm chairman of a multi-national organization called the Syndicate." Lorren looked at the three captured Saints tied to chairs infont of him._

_"Never heard of it," said Shaundi._

_"Evidently not, or you would have not have robbed our bank," said Lorren. "Perhaps you are wondering why you are still breathing at this point."_

_"Actually, I wonder why my foot's not up your ass at this point," said Johnny._

_"Like or not Mr. Gat, our organization is expanding into Stillwater. I'm giving you the chance to leverage your assets against your lives.," said Lorren._

_"Listen you French Fuck," said The Boss in an angry tone._

_" Please, I am Belgian." said Lorren._

_"Then make yourself a fucking waffle, we're done here." said Johnny._

_"And I had so hoped to come to a rational business arrangement." said Lorren as he motioned to one of his henchman. Obeying, the henchman walked over to Johnny and put a gun to his head. Though the chairs were bolted to the floor, Johnny used all of his strength to lift his up and ram his body into the henchman's torso. After pulling his hands free, he began beating the shit out of the henchman landing hard punches to his face. Once the henchman was unconscious, Johnny turned his attention to Lorren._

_Lorren pulled out a knife and stabbed Johnny in the gut. This didn't phaze him. Johnny grabbed Lorren and rammed his head through the plane window causing the cabin pressure to change drastically. After taking out a few more henchman, Johnny pulled the knife out of his body and used it to free his friends as six more henchman burst into the room._

_"Boss, you gotta bail!," yelled Johnny._

_"No, not without you!," yelled The Boss over the gunfire. The three Saints took cover behind a desk._

_"It's just a half a dozen guys, I can take 'em.," said Johnny._

_"What about the plane?," asked Shaundi concerned._

_"I'll fly it back to Stillwater," Johnny seemed pretty confident in this words._

_"Johnny, you can't even drive stick. How the hell are you going to fly a plane?," asked Shaundi._

_"Details details, you cover the Boss. I got this," said Johnny grabbing a gun. He stood up and began shooting at the henchman._

_The Boss turned to Shaundi._

_"I'm not leaving him," said Shaundi. She gave The Boss a stern look. The Boss nodded._

_"Me neither," said The Boss. "C'mon, we have to hurry."_

_He vaulted over the desk and quickly grabbed a fallen henchmen's gun. He tossed it over to Shaundi and she began peppering enemies with bullets. Johnny got attacked from behind and was in a choke hold. The Boss pulled him off, wrapped his arm around the henchman's neck, and squeezed hard until he heard the bone crushing sound of a neck breaking._

_"Johnny, c'mon. This plane is going down. We need to move." said The Boss. Johnny nodded in agreement before elbowing another henchman in the nose._

_"Boss, I'm out of ammo! We have to go!," yelled Shaundi as she threw down the SMG. All three turned to leave as one more henchman entered the room. Lifting his gun he began firing off bullets. The Saints kept running to the plane's cargo bay as bullets flew by._

_"Boss!," Shaundi screamed in pain. The Boss turned to see her gripping her side as blood poured through her fingers._

_"Don't worry, I got you," he said as he picked her up in his arms. An explosion roared behind him and the last henchman was engulfed in flames. The Boss kept running until he reached the cargo bay to see Johnny with two parachute packs._

_"There's only two parachutes left!," yelled Johnny over the roar of the plane._

_"That's fine!," said the Boss. He looked down and noticed that Shaundi's body had gone limp. He gently layed her down on the floor and it was then that he noticed all the blood on his clothes. He looked down at Shaundi and saw the extent of her wounds. She caught six bullets in the back when fleeing Lorren's office._

_"Shaundi?!," The Boss screamed. She didn't respond._

_"Shaundi, look at me!," he screamed again as he shook her hoping to wake her up. "Shaundi, come on!"_

_"Boss... she's gone.," said Johnny with regret._

_"NO!," The Boss screamed and continued to shake Shaundi's limp body. "Shaundi! SHAUNDI!"_

_Another explosion roared behind them._

_"Boss! We have to go!," Johnny motioned for him to take the parachute. The Boss slowly reached a bloody hand out to grab it as an explosion, much bigger than the last, pushed them out of the plane._

The Boss gasped as he awoke in a cold sweat. He struggled to breath as he sat up in bed bringing his knees up to rest his arms. His head was pounding and he could hear his hearbeat in his ears. Why did he let Pierce talk him into throwing a party the day before a press conference? He looked around his dark room and then at the clock.

_2:30 a.m._

"Shit.," he mumbled under his breath. He felt the body next to him move and a feminine hand come up to caress his arm.

"What's wrong?," the woman asked. The Boss turned to look at her. He didn't remember her. He furrowed his brow as he studied her face in the dark.

"Shaundi?" he asked still a bit dissoriented.

"Shaundi?," she chuckled. "You really like calling me that don't you?"

The Boss quickly turned to flick on the lamp next to him and turned to look at the strange woman again. It wasn't Shaundi. He didn't understand the disappointment he felt.

"I have to be honest," the woman continued talking. " I'm a little jealous of her."

"Of who?," asked The Boss. He turned and hung his feet off the side of the bed placing his back to the woman.

"Shaundi, you called me by her name several times last night.," said the woman. "Who is she? An ex girlfriend?"

"She's nobody." he said. He quickly stood up and put on his boxers. " I think you should leave."

"Are you sure you don't want to have another go, Mr. President?" the woman asked in a sultry manner.

The Boss clenched his teeth.

"Get the FUCK out of here!," he yelled as he furiously tore the sheet off the bed revealing the woman's naked body. She didn't know what to do. The sound of his voice scared her. She sat frozen stiff on the bed fighting the urge to cry.

The Boss could see that he hurt her feelings, but he didn't care. He grabbed a bathrobe off the chair next to him and tossed it to her.

"Cover yourself up.," he said before storming into the bathroom and slamming the door behind him.

"Why?" he asked himself as he looked in the mirror. "Why can't you forget her?"

His face was red and his jaw was tight. His blue eyes were bloodshot and looked as though he'd been crying. He was angry. Angry at Lorren. Angry at himself. Angry at the woman in his bed. The woman didn't do anything wrong and he knew that. She looked like Shaundi, they all looked like Shaundi. Every woman he'd been with in the last five years resembled her and he didn't understand why. They were never together. He'd never had feelings for her when she was alive. He didn't understand why he couldn't forget her. She occupied his every thought.

He looked at himself in the mirror again. A tear dripped down his cheek.

"AAAHHH!," he yelled as he took his fist and slammed it into the mirror shattering it. Shards of glass stuck in his hand, but he didn't care. The pain made him feel tough.

The sound of a door closing echoed in the bedroom. The Boss opened the bathroom door and peeked inside. The woman was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

******Note: This chapter has SPOILERS for Saints Row IV.******

CAN'T LET GO CHAPTER 2:

It was another sleepless night for the boss. He couldn't close his eyes without seeing Shaundi's face. He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes before looking at the clock.

12:00 am

He let out a sigh and got out of bed. The cool air hit his half naked body and gave him a chill. He let out a yawn and walked toward the bathroom. Giving the broken mirror a short glance he made his way to the toilet and lifted the seat. Placing one hand on the wall, and using the other for control, he leaned his head back and began to relieve himself. While in mid-stream he saw a bright white light flash out of the corner of his eye.

"What the fuck is that?" He stopped peeing and put himself back into his boxers. He stepped out into his bedroom to see a white light pouring in under his bedroom door.

He slowly crept towards his door. A high pitched ringing grew louder the closer he got. Slowly reaching for the doorknob he heard a voice coming from the other side of the door. He leaned over and grabbed his pistol hidden under the table next to him. He didn't know what was on the other side of the door, but he was prepared for anything.

Flinging open the door The Boss jumped out and was blinded by the piercing white light. He brought his injured hand up to shield his eyes. The light died out and he saw a woman walking down the hallway. It looked like Kinzie.

"Kinzie?"

He followed her down the hall. It was strange, she looked disorriented. Like, she didn't quite know where she was.

"Kinzie?," he asked quietly, but loud enough for her to hear him. Kinzie stopped dead in her tracks.

"Shit.," she said under her breath.

"Kinzie, what are you doing here this late?," he asked. "And why are you wearing that jumpsuit?"

"Uh...," Kinzie turned around to face him. "Um, I forgot something."

"Oh," he lowered his pistol. "Can I help you find it?"

"No...no, I can find it." she said. "Actually, I think I may have left it at home. I'll go check. Goodnight Boss." Kinzie hurried down the hallway. The Boss knew something was up and followed her.

He peeked around the corner and saw Kinzie pull out a remote control with a green button on it. She pushed the button and a white passage appeared. She stepped through it and disappeared behind the wall of light.

"Holy Shit.," he said before taking off down the hallway toward the passage way. He stood infront of it and reached out a hand. The light began to dim. Without thinking, The Boss leaped forward into the passage before it closed in after him.

xxxxxxxx

Kinzie couldn't believe what just happened. Poking through all the Zin technology was like Christmas to her, and leaping through time was the icing on the cake.

"Hey Kinzie, where did you go this time?" asked Shaundi as she walked into the room.

"I think I went back to our time, before the world was attacked by The Zin.", said Kinzie.

"I thought you said we had no control over what time period we went to. That it's chosen at random.," asked Shaundi.

"It is. I guess it was just a lucky draw." she said. " I ran into The Boss while I was there."

Just as Kinzie finished her sentence a white light appeared behind her.

"Oh, fuck me.," she said before turning around to see The Boss step out of the light.

"Kinzie? What did you do?," asked Shaundi.

"He must have followed me.," said Kinzie.

The Boss stood infront of the two female Saints with his pistol to his side. He looked around at his surroundings. Everything was futurisic. It looked like a spaceship. He turned to look at Kinzie.

"Kinzie...where-" The boss looked over to see Shaundi." Shaundi? You're alive?"

"Um, yes. I'm standing here, so I must be." said Shaundi. She was confused by the look The Boss was giving her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'd almost forgotten." he said softly.

"Forgot? Forgot what?" asked Shaundi. The Boss took a step forward and put his pistol in the hem of his boxers. Shaundi stared at him as he made his way towards her. Her heart began to race and she didn't know why. He reached out his injured hand and softly brushed her cheek. It was something she wasn't used to. He had never shown a softer side and she didn't quite know what to think.

"You're...really here.," he said almost not believing his words. "I can't believe it. You're really here. You're alive."

He could feel tears welling up in his eyes and he quickly turned his head away so the girls wouldn't see.

"Boss? Are you okay?" asked Kinzie.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he replied. Shaundi didn't understand his behavior. She'd never seen The Boss cry before. And his words confused her. Why did he think she was dead?

"Why did you think Shaundi was dead?" asked Kinzie. The Boss cleared his throat.

"Because I saw her die. On Lorren's plane 5 years ago." he said with regret in his voice.

"No, Johnny died...er, got kidnapped." said Kinzie.

"What?," he asked. Everything was starting to hit him. "Wait, what the fuck is going on? Am I in some sort of Matrix or something? Where the fuck am I?

"You're in the future." said Kinzie.

" How can this be the future if Shaundi died in the past?" he asked. Kinzie was quiet for a moment.

"Because she didn't," said Kinzie after thinking it over. "At least not in our time."

"What do you mean?" asked Shaundi. She glanced up and caught The Boss staring at her again. They locked eyes for a moment before she returned her attention to Kinzie.

"I must have traveled to an alternate timeline." said Kinzie. "Lorren's plane being the defining characteristic of our paths."

"Oh, okay." said The Boss. "What?"

" A split in time." said Kinzie. "In one timeline Johnny gets kidnapped by Zinyak and the path compensates. In the other timeline Johnny doesn't get kidnapped and Shaundi dies."

"Who the hell is Zinyak?" asked The Boss.

"He's an alien Overlord. He blew up the planet and placed the best and brightest humans in a simulation of their worst nightmares." said Kinzie in one breath.

"You killed him." said Shaundi. " I mean, OUR YOU killed him."

"Apparently, since Zinyak never captured Johnny in your timeline he was too scared to invade planet Earth." said Kinzie.

"So, this Zinyak guy was scared of Johnny? So he kidnapped him and blew up the planet?," said The Boss. "That makes perfect sense."

"There was more to it than that, but you got the basic idea." said Kinzie.

"So, is there a way for me to get back to my timeline?" asked The Boss.

"That's going to be kind of hard." said Kinzie. "It was a one in a billionth chance that I would even land in your timeline. We don't control what time period we leap to. At least not yet. Configuring it for alternate dimensions isn't going be easy either."

"So I'm stuck here?" he asked.

"For now.," said Kinzie.

"Well, then. Can I get some clothes?," askedThe Boss gesturing to his partial nakedness.

"Yeah, um, follow me." said Shaundi. She gestured with her hand for him to follow her. He met her at the door and placed his hand on her arm to stop her.

"Wait, how do we explain all this to OTHER me?," asked The Boss.

" As simply as possible." said Kinzie.

"So, what, am I an idiot in this timeline?" he asked.

"Kinda." said Kinzie. "You two should get along great."


	3. Chapter 3

******Feel free to leave a review on what you think of the story so far. I love hearing what you have to say. Let me know if it's getting confusing and I'll do my best to clear it up.******

CAN'T LET GO

Chapter 3:

Shaundi led The Boss down the stairway to a small storage room. The Boss walked closely beside her, his arm sometimes slighting grazing hers. She turned her head to look at him. He looked like The Boss she knew, but different. The only word she could think of to describe him was _tired_. The Boss caught her staring at him and gave her a half-smile before looking away. Shaundi cleared her throat and pointed to the door in front of her.

"We can find you something to wear in here" she said. The door opened automatically and the two walked through.

Shaundi walked across the room and opened a tall metal cabinet. Inside were a series of gray jumpsuits. Shaundi flipped through a few before ripping one off its hanger and tossed it to The Boss. He caught it and set his pistol on a crate next to him. Shaundi turned around and admired his body. She'd seen The Boss shirtless before, but this time was different. She leaned against the wall and watched as he slipped one leg and then the next into his jumpsuit. He pulled the suit up to his waist and she caught a glimpse of his v-line leading into his red boxers. She could feel her face get hot and knew she was blushing. She quickly turned away. She felt embarrassed.

"You're wearing your hair different" said The Boss as he zipped up his jumpsuit. She had her hair in an updo with a bit of bang hanging down.

"Yeah" she said touching her hair. "Why is something wrong with it?"

"No. No there's nothing wrong with it." he said. " It suits you, but it seems a little high-class for you know...this." He motioned to his surroundings.

"Yeah, well this is how it looked when I got abducted. Ponytail holders aren't exactly a common thing around here and it's better than wearing it down." she said. The Boss hoisted himself up on a crate and sat down.

"You're taking all this pretty well" said Shaundi. The Boss ran his fingers through his hair and let out a breath.

"I still haven't ruled out that this whole thing is a dream or some sort of hallucination" he said. "I mean, I saw you die, yet here you are standing in front of me."

Shaundi was quiet. She didn't know what to say. He hopped off the crate and walked toward her until he was inches away from her face. He could almost feel her breath on his skin. Shaundi looked into his eyes and furrowed her brow.

"Did we, you know, ever..."asked Shaundi not wanting to finish the question. The Boss took a step back when he realized how close he was to her.

"Ever what?" he asked looking away.

"Did we ever...sleep together?" she asked.

"No." he said. "Of course not."

Shaundi pushed herself away from the wall.

"What do you mean 'of course not'?" she asked. The Boss could tell she was offended.

"I didn't mean it like that." he said putting his hands up in defense. "The topic just never came up."

"Why? Did you and HIM ever?" he tilted his head inquiring about his other self.

"No." said Shaundi crossing her arms. "I don't know why I even asked. Apparently everything in our timelines was the same up until meeting Lorren."

Shaundi walked back towards the door. The Boss watched her as she walked. Once she left the room, The Boss grabbed his pistol and ran after her.

"I'll be honest with you" he said after catching up to her. "I had thought about it."

Shaundi smiled and kept walking. The Boss stayed by her side and watched as she walked beside him. Everything about her was perfect. Her eyes, her lips, her breasts, everything. He wondered if she knew how beautiful she was.

"_If this is a dream_" he thought to himself. "_I don't want to wake up."_

"C'mon." said Shaundi breaking his train of thought. "It's time to introduce you to yourself."

xxxxx

He could hear voices and music down getting louder as they neared the wreck room.

"Wait here." said Shaundi placing her hand on his chest. She tilted her head and stared at him. "What do I call you? I mean, he's the Boss here. Having two of you will definitely get confusing."

"You'll think of something." he said with a smile.

"Okay." said Shaundi before turning and walking into the room.

Inside, Pierce, Ben King, Keith, and Johnny were all gathered around the pool table. The Boss was in the center holding up an old Playboy. Pierce whistled when he turned a page.

"Woo! That's what I'm talking about!" said Ben. "Where did you get this Boss?"

"I got when I time jumped to the 1950's. This is the first issue ever made." he said turning the page again.

"Oooo, Marilyn Monroe was freakay! Damn!" said Pierce smiling.

"She sure was." said The Boss giving Pierce a wink.

"No...did you really?" asked Kieth. " You slept with Marilyn Monroe?"

The Boss smiled and took swig of beer.

"Well, Happy Birthday Mr. President!" said Johnny giving him a light punch in the shoulder.

"Oh, please." said Shaundi walking into the room. "What are you? 12?"

"There is nothing wrong with having a little fun once in a while Shaundi." said The Boss.

"You know you're not supposed to do anything that can alter the past." said Shaundi.

"Everything is still the same. The Earth was still destroyed and Zinyak is dead. Just chill." said Pierce.

"No, everything is not the same." said Shaundi. "We have a problem."

"What's going on?" asked The Boss. He handed the magazine to Pierce who began flipping through it again.

Shaundi left the room for a moment and came back in.

"Boss? Meet Michael." she said. Michael walked in from out in the hallway and stared at Shaundi. Shaundi avoided his eyes though she could feel them piercing right through her.

"What the fuck?" asked The Boss by the pool table. "Who the fuck is that?"

"He's you" said Shaundi. The Boss walked over and examined Micheal.

"Hi." said Michael. The Boss jumped back.

"What the fuck is going on here?" asked The Boss. As if on cue, Kinzie walked into the room.

"Oh good! You two met already." said Kinzie.

"Kinzie? Did you have something to do with this?" asked The Boss.

"Not purpsefully, no." she said.

"Then do you mind explaining what the FUCK is going on?" He paused for moment. "Did I get cloned?"

"He's not a clone. He's an alternate version of you." said Kinzie.

"What?" asked The Boss. Kinzie began explaining the situation.

xxxxxxx

"So, because my alternate self and Shaundi stayed behind to help Johnny, the Zin never invaded?" asked The Boss.

"Exactly. It's really quite remarkable. That one decision split the timeline in half creating two separate paths." said Kinzie.

"So, if they stayed behind to help Johnny, nothing bad would have happened?" Pierce asked.

"Not exactly." said Kinzie. "If they had stayed behind...Shaundi would have died."

Everyone in the room turned to look at Shaundi. Shaundi lowered her head and stared at the floor.

"Well, we didn't and both her and Johnny are alive." said The Boss turning back to Kinzie. "Now, what can you do to get other me back to his own time?"

"I'm working on that, but it's not going to be easy." said Kinzie.

"Figure it out and get Zinjai and Matt to help you...where the hell is Matt anyway?"asked The Boss.

"He and Asha are testing out a new training simulation." said Keith. The Boss let out a breath.

"Talk to him when he gets back." said The Boss. "I want the three of you working on this."

"Miller? I can figure it out without him." said Kinzie.

"Kinzie?" The Boss said annoyed.

"Fine." said Kinzie before she left the room. The Boss turned to Michael.

"I have one question for you." he said aggravated.

"What?" asked Michael.

"Why the fuck did you tell Shaundi my real name?" he asked. "Now everyone knows."

"Your name is Michael?' asked Pierce. "What's wrong with Michael?"

"Pierce. Shut up." said Johnny.

The Boss was silent. He grabbed another beer and popped the top off. He took a drink before storming out of the room pushing Michael out of his way. Michael turned to look at Shaundi.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly. "It was the only name I could think of."


	4. Chapter 4

******Note: Leave a comment telling me what you think of the story so far. I love reading what people have to say.******

CAN'T LET GO

Chapter 4:

Shaundi leaned against the railing on the balcony and looked down at the floor below her. Asha was lifting weights while Matt and Kinzie argued.

"What the hell do you think your doing?!" asked Matt ripping a device from Kinzie's hands. "This is a complex piece of machinery. I don't want your grubby little ginger hands ruining it."

"Complex? It's a gaming device. I could build one of those in my sleep." said Kinzie.

"Then why don't you?" asked Matt smuggly.

"Oh, I'm sorry I touched your precious little game." said Kinzie throwing her hands in the air. "Lord knows that's all you ever do."

"I beg your pardon?" asked Matt. "I do other things to."

"Is one of those things a woman?" asked Kinzie.

"How dare you?!" Matt pointed a finger at Kinzie. "I've been with dozens of women!"

Asha laughed as she did another rep. Kinzie smiled knowing she struck a nerve.

"Shut up Asha!" yelled Matt as he placed his game inside his pocket. Shaundi watched as they continued to argue.

"Well, those two are the same." said Michael. Shaundi jumped at the sound of his voice. She didn't notice him standing next to her.

"I'm sorry" said Michael. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Shaundi gave him an awkward smile and looked back at Kinzie and Matt. Kinzie was making fun of Matt's accent.

"I don't talk like that!" yelled Matt.

Michael laughed and looked at Shaundi. She looked upset.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Shaundi turned her head away from him.

"Hey..." he said as he gently grabbed her chin to turn her head towards him. She pushed him away.

"Don't." she said quietly. He could see shimmering streaks on her cheeks. She was crying. He didn't like the feeling he was getting in his chest.

Shaundi lowered her head and wiped the tears off of her face.

"I'm sorry." she said.

"Don't be." he said. "People were bound to find out my real name eventually. I'm surprised it was kept a secret this long."

"I'm not sorry about that." she said finally turning to look at him. "I'm sorry about what happened on Lorren's plane. It's my fault. It's always my fault."

"It's not your fault." he sighed and looked down. "It's mine. I should have protected you."

"That's what I mean." said Shaundi fighting back tears. "I died because I couldn't protect myself. The only reason I'm standing here now is because The Boss protected me."

Shaundi couldn't fight her tears anymore. They began pouring down her cheeks.

"The only reason The Boss keeps me around is..." Shaundi paused. "...I don't know why he keeps me around."

"Shaundi-" Michael reached up to wipe the tears off her cheeks. Shaundi pushed his hand away.

"Don't touch me." said Shaundi before walking away. Michael watched her dissappear down the stairs.

"She'll be okay." Michael turned around to see The Boss standing in front of him. It was weird. The Boss looked like him, but something was different. Michael couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"Do you like beer?" asked The Boss. "What am I saying? Of course you like beer!"

The Boss put his arm around Michael's shoulders and led him downstairs to the galley. He opened the fridge and pull out two beers. He tossed one to Michael.

"So, how are things?" asked The Boss. He flipped the cap off of his beer and took a drink.

"Things are-"

"Fuckin' messed up." interrupted The Boss. Michael nodded in agreement and took a drink.

"I have to ask you something." said Michael. "How many people are left?"

"You met them arleady. Us." said The Boss taking another drink. His beer was almost empty. "Since when am I a light weight?"

Michael looked at his beer. He'd only taken a few drinks.

"I guess I'm just not in the mood for beer right now." said Michael. He really didn't feel like drinking which was weird because he was always in the mood to drink.

"The fuck does that mean?" asked The Boss. "I thought you were supposed to be me? Me is always in the mood for beer. Beer and women. Which reminds me. What kind of action am I getting in your time thingy?"

Michael looked down at his cut up hand and remembered what led him to break the mirror.

"You know? Women? Fucking?" asked The Boss when he didn't get an answer. The Boss raised his eyebrows. "I'm not gay where you're from am I?"

"No, I'm not gay." said Michael taking a drink.

"Cool." said The Boss. "Not that there is anything wrong with that."

The Boss tossed his empty beer bottle over to the trash and missed it completely. He opened the fridge and got another.

"You want another one?" he asked Michael. Michael declined. "More for me then."

"How many of those have you had?" asked Michael.

"Not many. About 7." said The Boss. He took another swig. "Make that 8."

The Boss walked over to Michael and leaned in close. Michael winced at the smell of his breath.

"Our dad," said The Boss. "Was an asshole."

The Boss raised his beer up.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree right? Cheers." he said before chugging the whole thing. He tossed the empty bottle over to the trash and missed again. "2 points!"

The Boss turned to leave.

"Get some sleep! You're seeing the mothership tomorrow!" he said as he dissapeared down the hallway.

Michael looked down at his beer and placed it off to the side. He really didn't feel like drinking.

xxxxxx

Shaundi layed in bed staring at the wall. She kept thinking about what she had told Michael and how he reacted. He kept trying to touch her. To comfort her.

"Shaundi?" a voice asked behind her. Shaundi turned to see who it was. It was Michael. Shaundi turned back to face the wall.

"I came to make sure you were alright." he said.

"I'm fine." said Shaundi still facing the wall. "You can leave now."

"Not until I know you're alright." he said stepping closer to her.

"I said I'm fine." said Shaundi with a little more force. "I lied. I can take care of myself. I'm all better now. Leave me alone."

"Shaundi" Michael placed a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"Quit touching me." said Shaundi. "I-I don't like it."

"Okay." said Michael pulling his hand back. Shaundi sat up and looked at him.

"What the hell is wrong with YOU?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?" asked Michael scrunching his brow.

"YOU. You're nothing like The Boss." said Shaundi.

"I know that." said Michael. Shaundi tilted her head.

"What?" she asked. Michael sat on the bed next to her. Shaundi scooted away from him.

"I know I'm nothing like him." said Michael. "I used to be."

"What changed?" asked Shaundi.

"That day on Lorren's plane." said Michael. He looked down and rubbed the cuts on his hand. "When you died I felt something I'd never felt before. Sadness."

Shaundi looked down at Michael's hand as he continued talking.

"I didn't know what it meant. When other people I cared about died, I just got angry. All I felt when I lost you was sadness. It was overwhelming. I acted like it didn't bother me. I put on the tough guy persona. I killed. I partied. I fucked. I poured all my time into The Saints, but something was still missing. You."

Shaundi looked up at him and they locked eyes.

"I know you said that The Boss doesn't need you, but this Boss." he gestured to himself. "This Boss does."

xxxxxxx


	5. Chapter 5

Shaundi lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about what Michael had told her. She sighed and brought her hands up to her eyes.

"What the hell is happening?" she asked herself. She slammed her hands on the bed in frustration.

"Fuck this." she said as she got out of bed. She knew she wasn't going to get any sleep. Puting on her jumpsuit, she left the room and walked downstairs to the galley. She opened the fridge and bent over as she observed its contents.

"Couldn't sleep either huh?" asked The Boss. Shaundi jumped and turned around. The Boss was sitting at the dining table. He held up his hands.

"It's not Michael. Just in case you were wondering." he said the name _Michael_ with disgust.

Shaundi closed the fridge and crossed her arms.

"Bad dreams?" asked The Boss.

"I didn't get to sleep long enough to even dream anything." said Shaundi. The Boss looked at her.

"You know what I miss?" he asked.

"What?' said Shaundi.

"Those soft serve ice creams from Freckle Bitch's." he replied. "Those were awesome. If I ever time jump to a time that has one, the first thing I'm going to do is get a large chocolate soft serve."

Shaundi smiled and shook the hair out of her face. She had forgot to put it up before coming downstairs.

"That guy is nothing like me." said The Boss after a brief silence. "He has my face, but he's not me."

Shaundi looked at the floor as he kept talking.

"He seems so...boring." said The Boss. "What happened to him? He's a total buzzkill."

Shaundi thought of what Michael had told her and began to pick at her fingernails. The Boss stood up from the table.

"I will tell you this though." he said walking up to Shaundi. "He's a damn good looking man."

Shaundi laughed as he gave her a wink before walking off back to his room. She opened the fridge again and looked around.

"There's never anything to eat in here." she said to herself. She closed the fridge and walked down the hall. She stopped outside of the wreck room doorway and peered in. Michael was laying on the couch with his jumpsuit unzipped. He had taken his arms out of the suit so that only the bottom half of his body was covered. She stood in the doorway staring at him.

He hadn't given her a chance to reply earlier, when he said he needed her. She didn't know what she would have said had he given her the chance to talk. His words were so unexpected. She took a few steps forward and observed him on the couch. She felt the urge to reach out and touch him. He seemed so perfect laying there.

"Do you normally watch people when they sleep?" asked Michael raising his arm.

"It's not a common occurrence, no." said Shaundi crossing her arms.

"I wasn't really sleeping anyway." said Michael. Michael sat up and looked behind him at the billiard table. "You want to play a game?"

"I don't know if your up to losing to a woman." said Shaundi.

"Well, let's find out." said Michael as he stood up. He walked over to the billiard table and put the billiard balls in a triangle formation. "You can break."

Shaundi grabbed a pool stick and lined up the white ball. Her hair fell down by her face and she blew a few strands away with her mouth. She took a few practice strokes before hitting it and breaking the triangle. Two striped balls went into the side pockets.

"Lucky shot." said Michael as he lined up his pool stick. Shaundi admired his physic as he tooke a few practice strokes before hitting the white ball and scratching.

"Shit." he said. "Give me a chance to warm up some. I'll get it."

"Mmmmhmmm. " said Shaundi as she lined up her shot and sunk two more balls. Michael lined up his shot and sunk a striped ball in one of the corner pockets.

"Nice one." said Shaundi. "You have the solids remember? I'm stripes."

"I felt like giving you a freebie." said Michael. The two continued to play until it was down to Shaundi's final shot. She lined up and missed.

"Oh, is the pressure getting to you?" asked Michael walking up behind her.

"I'm kicking your ass." said Shaundi. "You still have 5 more balls to sink."

"Alright, if I make this next shot." said Michael leaning against the pool stick. "You have to tell me how you knew my real name."

"Fine." said Shaundi. "Now hurry up and miss so I can win this and go to bed."

Michael lined up his shot. Without any practice strokes he hit his mark and made the shot. He put his hand up to his mouth and gasped in fake surprise.

"Spill." he said.

"The Boss told me." said Shaundi.

"Why did he tell you?"asked Michael. Shaundi looked at him and smiled. Michael sighed and lined up the next shot. He looked at Shaundi and hit the ball sinking another shot. Michael waited for her to answer him.

"He was drunk." said Shaundi leaning against her poolstick.

"Sounds about right." said Michael. "Alright, new question. Have you ever thought about us together?"

Shaundi stared at him. Michael sunk another shot with no problem.

"I'm starting to think that I'm being played." she said.

"I told you that I thought about it." said Michael. "Now, it's your turn."

"Yes." she said with stubborn breath of air. "I have thought about it."

"Did you enjoy the thought of us together?" he asked sinking another shot. Shaundi looked at him.

"Yes." she said.

"And when I say us, do you think of me? Or the Boss?" asked Michael. He lined up another shot and the ball bounced out of the pocket. Shaundi smiled and stepped over to the side of the table. She lined up her shot, met her mark, and won the game.

"Well." said Michael. "Looks like I lost."

"Goodnight." said Shaundi. "Don't be too bent out of shape about losing."

"I'll try hard not to." said Michael. "Goodnight Shaundi."


End file.
